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News Release from: Saft Space and Defence Batteries | Subject: VES 100 Li-ion cells
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 28 December 2006
Li-ion batteries keep satellite on track
The Corot mini-LEO satellite is powered by Saft rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries as it searches nearby stars for rocky earth-like planets.
CNES's Corot mini-LEO (low earth orbit) satellite, launched successfully this week by a Soyuz 2-1b launcher from the Baikonour Cosmodrome (Kazakhstan), will be powered by Saft rechargeable lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries as it searches nearby stars for rocky earth-like planets This is an extremely demanding application for the onboard batteries, as they will be charged and discharged over a constantly repeating 100 minute cycle, with no rest periods, throughout a mission planned to last at least two-and-a-half years
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 18 Dec 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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"Corot is the second Proteus based satellite to feature Saft Li-ion batteries, as we pioneered the use of Li-ion technology on the Calipso mission, launched earlier this year".
"The next two Proteus platforms, to be launched between now and 2008 will also be powered by Saft batteries", said Philippe Jehanno, General Manager of Space and Defence Division.
Corot (convection rotation and planetary transits) is a mission led by France's CNES in association with French laboratories (CNRS), international partners from Austria, Spain, Germany, Belgium and Brazil, and the European Space Agency.
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The industrial part was awarded to Alcatel Alenia Space.
Based on Alcatel Alenia Space's Proteus multimission platform developed in partnership with CNES, Corot has a launch mass of 630kg.
It will be the first mission capable of detecting rocky planets, several times larger than Earth, with properties comparable to those of the rocky planets of the solar system.
It will also be the first European mission to carry out "astroseismology", to look inside stars and calculate their precise mass, age and chemical composition.
In this extremely demanding application, the Saft battery systems will work in conjunction with Corot's solar array to provide the 530W of electrical power for the satellite's onboard electronics.
When the solar array is fully exposed to the sun it will provide the satellite's power as well as charging the batteries.
When the solar array is "eclipsed" by the earth, with no direct sunlight, the batteries will power the satellite.
This very demanding charge and discharge cycle will be repeated every 100 minutes - the time Corot takes to complete one Earth orbit.
The Corot battery system comprises Saft VES 100 Li-ion cells.
Saft VES Li-ion cells offer a number of critical advantages for mini-LEO satellites, including the capability to save weight and space, enabling the satellite to carry the maximum active payload, while also delivering high performance and reliability. Request a free brochure from Saft Space and Defence Batteries ...
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